Half-a-hundred to nothing: Wildcats fly off the line to bury Spearman

“What’s happening, coach?”
That was a direct question from a dazed and confused Spearman player as he trotted over to the sideline for a Lynx timeout after one of 17 botched plays from the line of scrimmage.
At this point, the No. 4 Wildcats had rung up 24 unanswered points on their rival. Running back Chris Jones was having a field day, rushing for 172 yards on 14 carries, his second-best this season after a season-high 194 yards versus Highland Park. He had just carried the rock 9 yards, untouched, into the end zone—one of three touchdowns for No. 12 on the night.

Corbin Douthitt punched the extra point through the uprights with conviction, then drilled the ensuing kickoff through the back of the end zone. No Spearman player dared touch the tumbling pigskin, as it only served to make them a huge target for the voracious Cats barreling down the field.
On the very first play from the line of scrimmage, the Lynx offense lined up in an uninspired shotgun formation, with offset backs and no receivers. The quarterback took the snap for a designed run. The lineman designated to block defensive tackle Tyler Richardson was immediately tossed aside by the junior. A second lineman grabbed Richardson from behind, but the bruiser just as quickly shed the hold. He met the quarterback head on, 3 yards behind the line of scrimmage, wrapping him in a huge bear hug before a bevy of Wildcat bevos swarmed the relatively tiny quarterback and smothered him under a tidal wave of black jerseys.
A frustrated Spearman coaching staff pled for the timeout.
“What’s happening, coach?”
You’re getting beat, son.
“We just gotta do what we gotta do,” said Jones. “We wanted to win. Defense did what they had to do—they shut them down.”
Eventually the Lynx crumbled under the weight of half-a-hundred and quit threatening to score before folding 52-0. That makes seven consecutive wins for Canadian over Spearman since 2004.
“Coach Cav told us before the game that we have to be the most physical team,” said Bryce Chidester,” and I feel like we were the most physical team. We gave it all we got, and the most-physical team wins.”
On all sides of the ball, the Wildcats whipped and battered the Lynx into oblivion.
It was a boxing match between Iron Mike Tyson and Macauley Culkin, and the Lynx were tied up in the corner, gloves over face, muttering “don’t pass out, don’t pass out, don’t pass out,” while suffering a hailstorm of vicious blows.
Canadian never even punted.
If the Lynx weren’t being trampled by Jones, they were being bombarded by prototypical Air Canada play.

Douthitt, when he wasn’t going a perfect 7-7 on PAT attempts, along with a 26-yard field goal, went 18-25 passing the ball for 260 yards and a touchdown. Cameron Copley turned five receptions into a team-leading 121 yards and that lone receiving touchdown.
That’s as balanced a performance as any coach could ask for, with 291 total yards rushing and 278 total yards passing.
“The offensive line came up to me and Alexis Flores before the game,” said Jones. “They said, do what you have to do, but we’re gonna block, and do what we gotta do to get you wherever you gotta get. I appreciate them. This is the best offensive line I’ve ever been with.”

Meanwhile, the Lynx offense was worthless at producing points.
“We just had to focus on our keys,” said Chidester. “That’s what we did tonight.”
Of Spearman’s 17 pass attempts, only four managed to hit their mark and a fifth was snatched away by linebacker Holton Hufstedler. The four completions netted only 39 yards.
Running the ball, Spearman’s bread and butter, wasn’t exactly lucrative for the Lynx either. Only 157 yards showed for Spearman’s efforts, and once in the redzone, the Lynx became completely inept.
“You get an adrenaline rush,” said Chidester. “You think, ‘Oh, we gotta get a stop. They’re about to get a touchdown.’ And we don’t want a touchdown. It’s just all out. See what we got.”
Spearman gained only nine first downs the entire night, a season low for Wildcat opponents alongside Stratford’s five. The Canadian Blackade earned 17 tackles for loss, with Chidester and Cade Throgmorton leading the way with four apiece.

“I just want to keep getting better each week,” said Chidester. “Yeah, tonight was great, but next week I’ve got to step it up, and each week get better. That’s my goal.”
For five games, the Wildcats’ wheels have begun to churn after a slow start to the season. The Spearman game represents that momentum coming to a roaring blaze.
“This game doesn’t matter,” said Jones. “It’s over, we won. That’s it. We’re ready for our next game. We’re gonna keep going.”
Good thing too, because a Dimmitt team that on paper appeared to be a throwaway game, gave Childress an unexpected run for their money before puttering out of steam.